


How to Trust

by AlexTheShipper



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Fluff, Genius Clint, Kid Clint, Kind Phil, M/M, Magic, Trust Issues, deaged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 17:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4314009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexTheShipper/pseuds/AlexTheShipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint is deaged during a battle with a witch, and Phil is left to care for him until the spell wears off.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Trust

The Avengers in general were never prepared to fight magic users, although you'd be hard pressed to find someone who was. The avengers certainly weren't ready for their archer to be turned into a 9 year old.

"Clint." Phil asks the small boy drowning in Hawkeyes uniform. Walking cautiously over to him. The boy looks at him with a nervous glint in his eyes clinging to a now too large shirt.

"My name is Clinton. Who are you?" Clint asks, eyeing Phil warily. There's large bruises still littering his skin from the battle.

"My name is Phil. I just wanna help you Clint." Phil says. Clint snorts at him.

"Sir, that's unnecessary. The only help I need is you telling me where I am. Barney's gonna kill me when I get back. Shit." He looks up after he speaks eyes terrified. "I didn't mean to curse sir, I'm sorry."

"It's fine Clinton. Is it okay for me to call you Clint?" Phil asks, crouching down beside him.

"Yes Mr. Phil." Clint mumbles.

"Thank you Clint. Do you want help taking care of your bruises?" Phil asks. Clint closes off.

"No thank you." Clint's eyes turn cold and weary. They probably would have stayed that way if Tony hadn't showed up, landing with a clunk. Clint's apprehension immediately shifted from Phil to Tony.

"Hey Agent who's your little man here?" Tony asks and Clint steps away from the loud voice hesitantly.

"That's Clint." Phil glares at him, trying to warn him off.

"What Merida? Fucking witches man." Tony groans. Clint whimpers and scampers behind Coulson's legs.

"I'm sorry." Clint squeaks. "So sorry sir." He clings to Phil looking up with pleading eyes.

"How old are you anyways kid 6?" Tony keeps talking. Phil kinda wants to punch him.

"I'm 9." It's an angry response and Clint tenses the moment it leaves his lips. "Mr. Phil please." Phil turns quickly scooping the kid into his arms, and ignoring Tony's indigant response. 

"Let's get you to medical Clint. Then back to my apartment." Phil tried to soothe him.

"Your apartment?" Clint asks voice small. Phil's almost sure he would have refused if Thor and Steve hadn't appeared arguing loudly. Instead the young boy nodded at him and flinched away from Thor's booming voice. "No medical. Just apartment." Clint mumbles and Phil moves to settle him in the car.

"We need to get your bruises looked at." Phil says. Clint shakes his head.

"You got a first aid kit? Don't you?" Clint asks. Phil nods. "Apartment. No doctors."

"Fine." Phil sighs. Walking around to the drivers seat.

"Thank you mister." Clint mumbles. The ride is silent Clint fiddling with the too big shirt while Phil focuses on the road. "Mister Phil?" Clint asks. Phil hums in acknowledgment. "I'm sorry, for arguing with you."

"It's fine Clint." Phil assures him.

"You're real nicenice Mr. Phil." Clint says curling up in the seat. " 's weird." Phil feels his heart clench in his chest, but he doesn't say anything as the kid begins to fall asleep.

...

Phil was hoping Clint would change back overnight but in the morning there's still a nine year old sleeping in his spare room. Which means he needs to go to Stark tower. Phil lends him a much to big shirt, and Clint is forced to wear it as a dress.

"Mr. Phil? Are you okay?" Clint asks and he nods.

"I'm fine Clint, what do you want for breakfast waffles or eggs?" Phil picks him up depositing him on the counter. Wide eyes stare up at him in awe.

"Waffles?" Clint asks, awe clear in his voice.

"Yup, you ever had them?" Phil asks, his heart breaks a little when Clint hesitantly shakes his head.

"I-I can still try right?" Clint pleads.

"Of course. You're a big boy now." Phil smiles at him, and the kid grins.

"Thank you Mister." Clint whispers. He looks around clearly unsure of what to do with himself while he waits.

"Here, why don't you help me cook?" Phil lifts him up onto the counter and hands him a spoon and a bowl.

"Okay." Clint holds onto both tools tightly.

"I'll put everything in the bowl and you stir, okay?" Phil asks, Clint nods eagerly. "So, Clint?" Phil prompts, and the boy tenses beside him. Phil tries to defuse the tension by continuing to cook while he talks. "We need to visit Tony, so we can figure out what happened yesterday." Phil explains.

"Tony? Which one was Tony?" Clint asks.

"The guy in the metal suit yesterday." Phil offers.

"He's going to figure out how I was deaged?" Clint looks up, and takes in Phil's shock. "I'm not dumb Mr. Phil. My clothes were much too big, you have technology that doesn't exist, it's all fairly obvious. Most obviously, that's me." He points to a photo on the wall.

"How can you tell?" Phil asks, taking the bowl of finished batter from Clint to cook. Phil is reminded of Clint's response when asked how he knew Natasha wasn't a threat when they first brought her in. 

 _"Trust me Phil, she won't hurt me." Clint had promised. P_ hil wonders if it was more than just intuition. 

"Well look, the eyes, hair color, facial structure. It's all really clear." Clint explains.

"So, you've always had the eyesight." Phil murmers, dropping a cooked waffle onto a plate for Clint.

"Mine?" Clint asks, with a nervous smile. Conversation put on the back burner in favor of food.

"Of course, do you want syrup? Chocolate chips?" Phil offers, the pure shock on Clint's face is heartbreaking.

"Yes please." Clint whispers. Phil vows to himself that as long as Clint is a kid Phil is gonna keep him happy.

...

"We'll need to draw some blood. Do a few scans." Tony says. Clint eyes him warily.

"You'll explain everything first?" Clint asksasks, although it's closer to a demand, Phil grins at him.

"I'm not sure you'll understand, but sure." Tony waves a hand at him. Clint glares at the back of his head.

"First I'm gonna draw some blood." Tony holds up a needle as explanation.

"No you're not." Clint says, Phil raises an eyebrow at him. "Give it here." Tony hands it over.

"I'm not sure if-" Tony begins to protest. He's stopped by Clint casually pushing into a vein and drawing blood.

"Here you go. What else?" Clint doesn't hide his smirk well, and Phil laughs.

"Just, stand there, JARVIS will scan you." Tony grumbles.

"What is he scanning for?" Clint asks.

"Sir, I will be scanning for traces of magic, and the path it will take." JARVIS speaks from overhead. Clint nods.

"Thank you Mr. JARVIS." Clint calls, slightly louder than necessary. Tony grins at him, and then the room lights up. 

"JARVIS, begin analyzing the data." Tony says, settling down to work on some sort of code. Clint watches the hologram, fascinated.

"Yes Sir." JARVIS, says. "Based on current data Clint should return to normal naturally though. The presence of magic in his system is fading." Tony hummed softly, and Phil watched him flick parts of the equations around, moving portions, and running the simulation. Somerhing is wrong, the path the projectile should take fails. 

"Mister Tony." Clint tugs at his sleeve.

"What kid?" Tony's voice is harsh, but for the first time since he was deaged Clint doesn't shy away.

"I can fix it. Watch." He climbs into Tony's lap before the man can do anything and fiddles with the equation. "You misplaced a decimal, here." Clint explains, then hops off the chair and walks over to Phil.

"What? Kid! How the hell did you?" Tony splutters.

"It was obvious Mr. Tony. You're working on trajectory." Clint calls over his shoulder and drags Phil from the room.

"You just outsmarted Tony Stark? He is not gonna like that." Phil asks.

"Does older me not do that?" Clint's eyes light up with realization, quickly followed by panic. "I'm sorry, I've made an error. I thought, but obviously not. It won't happen again sir." The boy is backing away from Phil as he talks.

"Clint, hey. Calm down please. You're safe here." Phil speaks gently.

"Are we friends?" Clint asks, hands shaky.

"Natasha is your best friend, but I like to think I'm second." Phil grins at him.

"You love me. Older me anyways." Clint whispers. Phil doesn't meet his gaze, even at nine years old Clint's eyes are piercing.

"Yes. I do." Phil sighs.

"There's something, not right about this." Clint growls. "I need to think." Coulson reaches for him and the boy disappears into a vent hidden behind the couch. Phil is left to watch the heat signature move through the vents.

...

"Mister Phil." Clint says, voice scared.

"Yeah?" Phil asks looking into the vent.

"Can I have a blanket?" Clint asks.

"Will you come out?" Phil grabs the blanket anyways.

"I'd rather not." Clint mumbles.

"Sir, the magic should be completely gone within a few minutes. You'll return to normal size." JARVIS's voice rings out, and Clint's eyes fill with panic.

"I mucked it up. Crap." Clint whispers, pushing out of the vent. He takes the blanket from Phil's hand and starts pushing Phil out of the room.

"JARVIS, I need to leave myself a message."

...

Clint wakes up wrapped in a blanket, and without pants. He recognizes Stark tower though.

"Master Clint, a message has been left for you." JARVIS says.

"Show it to me." Clint requests.

 _I'm so sorry. I've mucked everything up. You were deaged into me. Clinton Francis Barton, nine years old. I misjudged the situation, and I'm so sorry. I thought these people were safe. I found your room, and clearly I was wrong. I showed my intelligence, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ruin things for you._  Clint sighs.

_The most confusing thing is Mr. Phil. I don't think you missed it, I'm not sure how you could have, but he loves you Clint. He's good Clint. I think you love him too. Trust him Clint._

"I don't know how." Clint whispers. "I'm sorry." He hears a knock on the door. "JARVIS, please delete this message. Do not let Tony find it." Clint says.

"Yes Sir." JARVIS answers. Clint ties the blanket around his waist, and opens the door.

"Clint." Phil smiles at him.

"Hey, Coulson. I need to get pants Sir. I can handle the debrief after." Clint pushes past him, unable to meet his eyes. He rushes to his floor in Stark's tower, and slumps against the door. "Pull yourself together Barton." Clint scolds.

...

"Clint?" Phil forces himself not to jump up to greet his friend.

"I can debreif now." Clint mumbles.

"You could, but you won't." Phil informs him. "You look dead on your feet. Get some rest."

"Sir, that's against protocol." Clint says. He leans against the wall.

"I'm fully aware of that, now go to bed." Coulson scolds.

"I hope I wasn't a nuisance Phil." Clint moves to leave.

"You weren't. You trusted me, right until the end. I'm not sure what happened." Phil mumbles.

"Little me realized that I didn't trust anyone anymore." Clint explains. "Found my runaway bag. I'm sorry." He pushes the door open.

"Clint?" Phil asks, and Clint hates that his voice is enough to stop him in his tracks. "You don't have to trust me. I know I couldn't force you too, but I would never hurt you Clint."

"Phil." Clint ducks his head. "I'm sorry. I haven't trusted anyone since I was eleven, since Barney. I'm not sure I still know how." Phil places a hand on his back, and Clint can't help allowing himself to be tugged into a hug.

"It's okay." Phil whispers.

"It's not. I want to trust you, so bad. I love you, but I can't trust you." Clint whines, Phil stiffens slightly.

"You love me?" Phil's hand cards through Clint's hair, soothing the anxiety building in his gut.

"Yeah, its terrifying." Clint breathes carefully trying to keep himself calm.

"Hawkeye, scared of me." Phil jokes, trying to calm both their nerves.

"Hawkeye isn't scared of you. Clint is." Clint sighs, pulling away from Phil.

"I love you. Trust me." Phil whispers, grabbing onto Clint's hand.

"I don't know how." Clint's voice is small.

"You can start by unpacking your bag, and letting me make you waffles in the morning." Phil retorts, Clint immediately goes rigid.

"You're staying over?" Clint squeaks.

"I'll sleep on the couch Clint, relax." Phil scolds.

"Okay, I can do that." Clint relaxes into his side. "I still don't trust Tony though."

"You say that as if anyone does. That guy is as reliable as Loki." Phil presses a kiss to his forehead, and Clint pulls him to his room. "Also, why have you been hiding your genius from me?" 

"I haven't. I've been hiding it from SHIELD." Clint explains. "As long as everyone thinks I'm the dumb circus hick they tell me things they shouldn't." Phil grins at him. 

"I'll try not to blow your cover then." Phil teases. 


End file.
